I mention this all the time, but I just have to say it again. Jumping spiders are the cutest spiders in the world.
This is one of the main reasons that pet jumping spiders are popular among pet owners seeking a spider as a pet.
But can you keep them as pets and are they good pets?
Let’s find out!
Can You Keep a Jumping Spider as a Pet?
Yes, you can keep a jumping spider as a pet. There are no regulations in place that restrict you from keeping a jumping spider as a pet.
They are small and found in many places throughout the world and they are popular as pets. They also help control pests. Since they are not dangerous to humans, there has been no need to regulate their status as pets.
Are Jumping Spiders Good Pets?
Pet jumping spiders can be great for the right pet owners. However, there are many things that you need to consider before getting a jumping spider as a pet.
You need to think about many different things before you get a pet jumping spider or any pet.
Let’s discuss the various things so you can make an informed decision on whether or not a pet jumping spider is a good pet for you and your household.
Are Pet Jumping Spiders Aggressive?
In the wild, jumping spiders are very aggressive toward their prey. They are excellent hunters and jumpers that pounce on their prey by jumping on them and sinking their fangs into their prey to release their venom.
Although they are hunters in the wild, they are rather tame and not aggressive when it comes to humans.
In fact, they will usually be scared or shy around humans but may become more comfortable with enough time spent with you if you get one as a pet. But they are not the type of pet you can handle because they don’t like that.
If you are hurting them or accidentally squish them, they may bite you but the bite is not deadly, nor does it even require any medical assistance in most cases.
Their bite can be equivalent to the bite of other insects such as mosquitos and maybe as bad as some stings, but nothing that will require any medical intervention.
Are Pet Jumping Spiders Friendly?
Jumping spiders tend to be shy or scared when being around humans. They appear friendly because they are inquisitive and curious. But their colors and their demeanor give people the impression that they are also friendly little spiders.
They are not “unfriendly” by any means and can make a great pet if you are looking for a small creature with lots of cuteness.
They can be tame and can even get used to being around you if you spend enough time with them. So, they can be friendly in their own little ways.
But as I stated earlier, jumping spiders do not like to be touched or handled and could bite if you try to pick them up.
If you need your pet spider to move, don’t touch it! Just nudge it along until it moves where you want it to go.
Are Pet Jumping Spiders Beginner-Friendly?
Jumping spiders are very beginner-friendly pets. They are easy to take care of and don’t require a lot of maintenance.
They don’t eat a lot so you don’t have to feed them all the time. They are not dangerous to humans and did I mention how cute they are?!
How to Keep and Care for a Pet Jumping Spider
If you want to keep a jumping spider as a pet, make sure to read all the details about how to care for a jumping spider below.
This section contains information about care, what to feed jumping spiders, what type of habitat they need, their molting process, and how long they live.
Care
There’s not much needed to care for a jumping spider as a pet. They don’t require any specific or expensive food.
They don’t require a lot in terms of habitat and they are not a danger to humans.
However, they don’t have a long lifespan, so they are more for people looking for a short-term pet.
Diet
In the wild, jumping spiders eat all types of small insects such as crickets, fruit flies, grasshoppers, mealworms, and other spiders. Some even consume a little nectar from time to time.
As a pet, you can feed your jumping spider small insects such as crickets, flies, mealworms, roaches, and wax worms.
Adult jumping spiders need to eat and drink water every 2 to 3 days. They can go longer without food and some can even survive months, but you should feed your pet every 2 to 3 days.
They can’t go more than a week without water, so it is important to give them water every 2 to 3 days by misting their enclosure.
They will be able to pick up the water from the enclosure and don’t need anything special for the water, such as a dish.
Baby jumping spiders (spiderlings or slings) need to eat once a day and need water often. They can’t go without eating for more than five days and will die sooner without water.
Habitat
Wild jumping spiders live in many different habitats around the world, except for the extremely cold regions of the planet.
When keeping a pet jumping spider, you will need some type of enclosure to house your new pet. Jumping spiders do best when kept in temperatures between 26-30C or 78-86F and need light, but not too much.
You can provide natural light by placing the enclosure in sunlight (not direct) a few hours a day or you can get an LED lamp to give your spider the light it needs.
Let’s look at some various enclosure ideas.
Jumping Spider Enclosure
A jumping spider enclosure can be something as simple as a container that you already have around the house.
But you can also go to a pet store and get an enclosure specifically made for pets from there. They are not very expensive but it just depends on what works best for you.
DIY Enclosure Ideas
For a DIY jumping spider enclosure, you can use any container that is big enough for them to be able to move and jump in. However, if you want to be able to see them, it will need to be clear.
Glass or something that has clear plastic will be best, but remember that you need to be able to give your spider oxygen, so glass may not work if you have to poke holes in it.
You could try things like:
- glass flower vase – needs to be wide and spacy (since its glass, you can seal the top with plastic and poke holes in that)
- small fish tank – something like a fishbowl would work (plastic at the top with holes)
- clear plastic jug – some water jugs come in clear plastic and you can poke holes in them
Remember, they can jump around 4x their own body length and some even higher, so they need something tall and wide enough to allow them to move around and jump. If not, they could get weak and die.
The enclosure will need to be well-ventilated with holes but the holes need to be small enough so the spider can’t escape.
It can be plastic or glass, but you will need to add some things to it. You can add nature items like leaves, twigs, and things like that to make your spider feel at home.
Just keep in mind it may be hard to find your pet if you add too much foliage.
Terrarium Setup
Alternatively, you can go with a terrarium setup. They are nice and more accommodating for your spider, but the smallest ones can cost anywhere between $40 to $150.
If you have the extra money and want to get something more official, then a terrarium setup is the way to go.
You can find them at most local pet stores and chain stores such as PetSmart and PetCo.
Molting
If you get a juvenile jumping spider, one thing to know is that they will typically molt between five to six times before they reach maturity (some even more). Molting is the shedding of the exoskeleton and regrowth of a new one.
Molting time varies from spider to spider depending on factors like age and species. Some can only take a few minutes to a few hours while others may take a week or two to finish the entire shedding process.
During molting, jumping spiders will create a web with an egg-like sac where they will finish the molting process before re-emerging with a new exoskeleton.
Around the time of molting, they may not eat – and they will be very vulnerable and should not be disturbed.
Dehydration can cause issues in the molting process, so it is important to keep your pet jumping spider hydrated.
For younger jumping spiders, molting is around every thirty days or so.
Lifespan
Wild jumping spiders tend to have a lifespan between six months to two years.
In captivity, jumping spiders can live to be around three years old with the proper care and diet.
6 Common Jumping Spider Pet Species
Below are six common jumping spiders that people keep as pets.
The most popular two are the Regal Jumping Spider and the Bold Jumping Spider, but most jumping spiders are similar in regards to their behavior and demeanor.
1. Bold Jumping Spider
Phidippus audax – bold jumping spiders, also called bold jumpers and daring jumpers, are hairy and black jumping spiders that measure between 6 to 15 millimeters.
Their bodies are black with white stripes on their legs and heads. Adults have either a white or yellow triangle and two dots or spots on their abdomens.
They are most noticeable by their iridescent green fangs.
Juvenile bold jumpers will have black bodies with an orange-colored triangle and two dots or spots on their abdomens.
They are common in North America.
2. Elegant Golden Jumping Spider
Chrysilla lauta – elegant golden jumping spiders get their name for how elegant and beautiful their colors are.
Their bodies are blue with orange-red and a blue-white iridescent stripe between their eyes. They also have dark brown and gold or bronze-colored hairs with brown and yellow legs.
They are commonly found in rainforests from Myanmar to China and Vietnam.
3. Regal Jumping Spider
Phidippus regius – regal jumping spiders are the largest jumping spiders in eastern North America.
Their size can range from 6 to 19 millimeters (0.5 to 2.0 cm) similar to bold jumping spiders, but the adult males’ average size is 12 millimeters (1.2 cm), making them the biggest in eastern North America.
They have black and white bodies (not to be confused with bold jumpers), along with white fringes on the first pair of their legs and a white band on their abdomens, as well as three white dots or spots.
Their big fangs are iridescent green, blue, and violet or purple.
4. Shiny (Heavy) Jumping Spider
Hyllus diardi – shiny or heavy jumping spiders, and sometimes misidentified as the “giant jumping spider” – have large, hairy bodies and are commonly found in Africa and Madagascar along with North India and Australia.
Their size ranges between 9 to 15 millimeters (0.9 to 1.5 cm). They are not very colorful and have distinguishable grayish-white shades and stripes.
Heavy jumping spiders can be easily identified by their larger eyes, which are bigger than many other jumping spiders.
5. Tan Jumping Spider
Platycryptus undatus – tan jumping spiders are small, furry, and have large front-facing eyes similar looking to that of mammals.
Their bodies have various shades of brown to help camouflage them in their environments.
Tan jumping spiders are commonly found in eastern North America on fences, tree trunks, and exterior walls – and sometimes they will wander into people’s homes.
6. Zebra Jumping Spider
Salticus scenicus – zebra jumping spiders are commonly found in the United States and get their name because of their black and white stripes that resemble zebra stripes.
Their size ranges from 5 to 9 millimeters (0.5 to 0.9 cm) with females being larger than the males.
Some may be all black if they are in an area with industrial pollution, which helps them stay camouflaged.
How Much Do Jumping Spiders Cost?
Pet jumping spiders cost between $10 and $50 depending on where you live and where you purchase your pet jumping spider from.
Some rarer jumping spiders will cost more, but most are inexpensive pets to own.
Where Do You Buy a Jumping Spider?
In America, based on my research, no major chain pet stores sell jumping spiders. They all have tarantulas though.
To find a pet jumping spider for sale, you can try groups on Facebook and even Reddit. There may be local mom-and-pop pet stores that sell them.
Just click on this link and it will take you to a Google search for “jumping spiders for sale near me“. Hope that helps!
Can You Just Catch a Jumping Spider?
You can also catch a jumping spider and make it your pet. Just keep in mind that they are wild and will not appreciate being kept as a pet, but may eventually warm up to you.
They are very common here in America, so you don’t have to look far to find them.
They can be found in grasslands, open fields, gardens, fence posts, and on back porches. They are all over the place, you just have to look. I see them all the time on my steps.
Recap
Now that you know everything about keeping a jumping spider as a pet, are you going to purchase one or go catch one for yourself?
I don’t really need one as a pet because I am always around them on my back porch, so I get my time with them back there.
They can make great pets for the right owners and can be very beginner-friendly. There are many different kinds in many different colors.
Thanks for checking out this article. If you liked this article about pet jumping spiders, you will love other articles I’ve written about them here.
